章 8: ~ 8: The Woman With The Scars ~

I had dozed off with my head beside her while holding her hand. What had woken me up was the trembles of her fingers. I lifted my head to look at her eyes. Her eyes were shaking with fear.

I picked up her hand and placed my other hand over it to give her a sense of trust. But her body didn't stop quaking. Disappointed, I asked, "Do you remember what happened today, Miss?"

For a moment, her eyes were still. I could see the gears turning in her head. Then she stared hard at me and seemed partly relaxed. I didn't want to boast about it or bring back any foul memories associated with it, so I only waited for her response.

"Yes," she responded softly and quietly. "Thank you..."

"For what?" I asked inquisitively as I thought she didn't remember a thing.

"For your help... back there..." she said with sighs.

"It wasn't much anyway," I spoke up, preventing her from speaking more. "It's just a duty one must do."

She tried to speak, but she choked on air. I was about to fetch her water, but there wasn't any I could give, nor was I allowed to. I patted her back, and although she did recover, her breathing was shallow and heavy. It was in a while that she started gasping for air through the ventilation mask.

I called through the emergency button. The nurses and a doctor rushed in, resetting the ventilation system. I could only watch the whole thing unfold as they tried to keep her breathing. When they thought she was stable, they left her alone with me.

I stood beside her bed, wondering whether to play the same trick as last time and if it might cost me. I rolled the thin gold chain in my hands, but this time, I didn't have any strong light to get her cured faster. I thought that the flashlight on my phone would do the trick if I got it closer, but its battery had drained out faster after being drenched in the rain.

I had left all my possessions in the bus except for the Jewel, which I now always wore around my neck but under my shirt. Deciding that although I didn't know the end outcome I couldn't let her die, I put it around her neck.

That was when I noticed the scars around her collarbone. Pulling done the sleeve out of curiosity, I saw that there were many more injuries that a normal car accident would bring about. There were some pretty nasty bruises and scars that marred her arms and shoulders. That had me thinking back about what I had glanced back in the car but barely cared about.

Most unusually, the door near the passenger's seat had more blood on it than the driver's side. Comparing it to the woman, her right arm had taken the brunt of the accident that the driver, who is most probably her abuser or someone hired to kill her, had initiated it to get her to agree to his terms. The small amount of blood could only mean that the driver suffered from a head injury, and maybe bruises to the chest or broken ribs, in the worst case. That was my assumption until I could find more evidence.

Wanting to escape from the scene or get help (but my bet was on the former), he must have found enough time to escape by using the blinding headlights, which were later destroyed as he might have placed her in a way that she stepped on the accelerator. That got her injured on the forehead and her sternum. But I didn't know that she had a near fracture until I had felt the bandage wound around her there.

'So does that mean that she is on the verge of death?' I wondered. 'And which idiot thought that they could harm a woman, frail or strong, and get away with it?'

My mind whirred away as it tried to create the most reasonable theory. I couldn't delete the fact that she was suffering more than the eye could see. And although I was a stranger, I was ready to give away that chain to her as she required it more than me.

I increased the brightness of the room and prayed that it would work. And for a long time, nothing happened — neither did the gem didn't glow as before, nor did her physical appearance change to show that she was healthy.

I saw the time on the clock and I realised I barely had twenty minutes in my hands. Snatching up a paper and a pen, I penned down my last words to her:

'Dear ma'am,

'I leave in your possession my only gift to you for the suffering I see you in. I hope you use it wisely and carefully. I wish nothing in return but your good health. I hope you find the strength you need to succeed in your vicious battle.

'Yours truly,

'C. T. Dixon'

I left the note on the side table, where I hoped she would notice. I had to leave the room unattended as I had to charge my phone and get a call through to the conductor.

I did get a charging point at the desk for the VIPs. I thought I would wait it out for ten minutes there before I headed back. It had stopped pouring, so I had just enough time to get the bus, with the hopes that wouldn't slip on the way to catch it.

I was resting my head with my eyes closed for some time when I heard sharp footsteps click on the floor. It definitely turned me alert as nobody really came to the VIP section. I asked the head nurse at the desk, but she said that there were two other patients down the corridor. I found her answer reasonable, but my gut told me otherwise.

'There has to be something up with this shady guy,' I thought, eyeing him sideways.

'But the uniform is that of a nurse or a medic,' my psyche reasoned.

When he turn and entered the room I had exited, my heart beat like it was about to explode. There could only be one reason for entering the room with no eyes to look for her.

The corridor was deserted except for me and one other nurse, who had exited from one of the rooms. I quickly grabbed her hand and ushered her while I placed a finger to my lips. She must have understood my sign, for she followed me quietly to the door.

When we reached the door, I gave her my not-even-half-way charged phone and signalled her to catch everything that unfolded, from the first breath to the last. She nodded her head in complete comprehension.

I looked through the window once in thirty seconds, ensuring that the man never noticed me. His voice was feeble yet audible enough for anyone close to the sliding door.

"It is more than surprising to find me here, isn't it?" he spoke to her.

The bed squeaked. When I looked through the glass, I saw her shaking violently, as one does during a nightmare or when they are terrified.

With my only blade ready in one hand, I waited patiently for the time to make my entrance.

"Why are you quivering, sweet girl? You got me in trouble for the accident, but I was luckily able to escape. You will take the blame for me, won't you?"

I saw him touch her quivering hand and horrified face. Her bed creaked vigorously. Then, an alarm screamed inside as her blood pressure had spiked. The man was there to manipulate the system and in no time, the sound wasn't heard any longer.

He took out a syringe from his wide pocket and pushed it into her drip. That was my cue to barge in. I swung the pocket knife, sending it at him with high velocity. It stabbed his arm right where I wanted. He clutched it in agony, dropping the syringe. I used the spare time to get the drip out of her before the liquid seeped into her bloodstream.

"Did you think that a woman is your slave and will listen to every command to compel her to accept?" I asked, enraged. "Or maybe you thought that she was an easy prey because she looked naive to you and you could take advantage of what she owned? You have got some nerve to come back here with those wounds on you and think that nobody would second guess your motive in this place."

"What have you got against a strong man like me, huh?" he remarked with a smirk. "There's not a pint of proof you can give to convince those people. And besides, I always get my way, don't I?"

He turned around to get an answer from the lady. But she was lying there with her eyes wide at what was unwinding in front of her very eyes. The panic still existed as her body was still shaking due to the increased blood pressure.

"I know, but this time you truly have no escape," I answered, returning the same smirk while circling him like a wolf. "The proof of your existence is still there, no matter how carefully you tried to erase the blood marks and fingerprints. What's more interesting is that the dashcam beautifully captured everything. What do you have to say to that?"

"You —" he started, readying his fist to hit it out at me but he was already caught in action.

Someone must have alerted the security. And along with it was the video that the nurse had shot. He was dragged away to be rightfully punished for his deed. I submitted the recording to the security team. I was afraid that the CCTV must have been switched off before he tried such a deed and was glad that this would come in handy.

Satisfied with my work, I was ready to leave after having a glimpse at the lady, who was being attended to with more care than before. I hoped that in my entire existence, this was the best I had done.

Before I could get out the door, I was pushed to the side by a man.

"My daughter!" he yelled with joy and ran to embrace.

Happy at their reunion although upset with the sharp shove, I gladly made my way to the bus, which was already waiting for me at the front.